The Fix
by loserchan
Summary: A troubled Courier is sent to deliver some medical supplies, and picks up some unwanted company. As the journey goes on he realises that the presence of the doctor is having more of an effect than he expected. Eventual m!Courier/Arcade
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, it's been a while haha. Kind of anti-climatic that this is just an update of the first chapter as opposed to an entirely new one, but I changed a lot of stuff because i found the old version to be somewhat unconvincing. But yes, I hope you enjoy, and more to come this time I promise c: (And in less than 6 months, hopefully haha)

A lot of people ask me why I do the job I do.  
>I suppose it's a fair question- when one can make a fair enough living from scavenging and robbing it would seem that there's no point in having such a tiring and dangerous occupation such as I do.<br>Really, I think I sustain my job as a courier because it makes things seem normal.  
>Of course, I don't really know what 'normal' is. I was born long after the planet we call home was plummeted into nuclear apocalypse, but I've seen the pre-war movies and heard the same songs played over and over, and just like everyone else I've been raised with the image of how life should be, but isn't. Going back now is impossible- anyone with sense could tell you that.<br>And that's why I do what I do. I have an honest job, just like people back then had honest jobs. It's a fantasy really- an escape. It's like how kids would pretend to be extravagent things like pilots or astronauts. Now we play at being normal.  
>And that's exactly how things kick off: normally.<p>

I'm given the job of delivering a stash of medical supplies to a small settlement in the south of the Mojave. First though, I have to treck in the opposite direction- to Freeside- to get the package in the first place. I don't try to hide my reluctance as Boss talks me through things. It's going to be one hell of a journey but I'm told the pay will be worth it. I gather up the caps given to me to help pay for accomodation and go to leave straight away. I haven't got the time to be polite when I have a desert to trek across. I open the front door of the building and a few grains of sand dance into the room, the harsh mid-day light leaving a short streak across the otherwise dim flooring. As I move Boss calls after me, telling me not to do anything stupid this time. Don't be a hero, son.  
>With a nine millimeter in my hand, I reply, sometimes it's difficult not to be.<p>

As soon as I'm out of Primm I know the journey's going to be a tough one. In the summer I usually stick to the small jobs; going from settlement to settlement in the immediate area so that I don't have to be in the heat for too long. But right now courier work is sparce and I take whatever I can get. The dusty road through the desert guides me south, eventually leading to New Vegas, and I let my mind ponder upon every bloodstain or half rotten Brahmin carcass I come across. On lonely days like this I enjoy inventing reasons for each bit of violence I see on my travels- like a series of mini murder mystery stories. It distracts me from the truth that, really, there is no reason for the Wastelanders I find mangled and bloody in a ditch to be in such a condition. But that's life these days. It's survival of the fittest out here and I'm just another person surviving.  
>At least, that's what I tell the occasional person I meet.<p>

I arrive at Freeside after a couple of days. It's enfuriating having to navigate halfway across the desert to get there, but the shorter route north is crawling with Radscorpions and I'd rather do the extra walking.  
>It's a rather sad area. If heaven exists, Freeside would be purgatory. The difference is that most people who end up stuck here don't usually get to such a heaven, at least not in life. As soon as I'm behind the patchwork, metal walls of the town I'm bombarded with desperate offers of protection, drugs and love- everyone so eager to earn their next meal. I deny the vendors on all accounts, but I do approach a homeless, elderly man with a couple of caps. A stanger in a town such as this has to pay for everything- even directions.<br>'I'm looking for, uh,' I forget myself and have to refer to my Pip-Boy to remember where I'm going. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the bearded fellow eye my technology greedily, and I'm quick to remove it from his attention. 'The Old Mormon Fort?' I ask uncertainly, dropping the money at his feet with a clatter as the metal bounces and spins on the pavement briefly.  
>He hesitates for a moment, then points behind me. I turn and in the distance I see it, a smallish square of brick and short towers. I nod a thanks and head off that way.<br>I get mugged only a few minutes away from my destination. A few guys come at me with crowbars and tyre irons and manage to get a few hits to my stomach and back before I can pull out my own weapon. I manage to kill one attacker straight away- I smack him in the face with the side of my gun and then shoot in the same spot, splattering the ground with brain matter. This gives the other two time to plan though, and they approach me in opposite directions. I dodge one's blow, but at the same time walk into the other's. The sharp end of the crow bar rips into my side and I gasp in pain as I retreat. I manage to catch one of them in the leg, incapacitating him at least, but the other one's still active, and I don't want to take my chances. I turn and run for the wooden doors of the fort, throwing myself inside.  
>I get a few questioning looks from the guards once I'm in, they can see that my gun's out. My eyes half closed with pain, I direct their attention to my delivery satchel, currently empty, and they seem to relax a little. I put away my weapon slowly and straighten up, attempting to ignore the steady throb of pain and blood in my side.<br>A woman approaches me dressed in a medical coat and hair styled-somewhat oddly- into a mohawk.  
>'I suppose you're the guy who's here to take our supplies?' She says somewhat lightheartedly, but having just trekked quite a few miles to get here before being attacked the statement rubs me up the wrong way.<br>'No, I'm just here for the sightseeing.' I sneer, grabbing my waist as I stumble forwards. 'And just in case you didn't know, this isn't natural blood loss.'  
>She smiles, recieving my grumpiness in a suprisingly pleasant fashion. I suppose that she must have experienced worse through living in such a hostile area. 'I'll take you over to Arcade. He can get you the delivery items, and he might even fix you up if you ask nicely.'<br>She leads me over to one of the larger tents, where a few similarly dressed people are gathered, talking in quiet, concerned tones amongst bed-bound patients that would appear dead if it wasn't for the coughs and groans they were regularly emitting.  
>'Arcade, the Courier's here.' She says, causing amy m man over in the corner amongst shelves of supplies to turn slowly. He looks me over behind the thick black frames of his glasses, his short blonde hair swept neatly out of his face.<br>'Barely.' He replies, mostly to me. He then turns his attention to the woman, his blank expression barely changes. 'Thanks Julie.'  
>Julie smiles and turns to leave, although not before sarcastically whispering to me, 'Have fun!'<br>I don't have to wonder what she means by that for long.

'You did a good job getting hurt in such a short distance.' Arcade comments dryly, grabbing some small squares of bandages and tape.  
>I stand awkwardly, unsure as to how to behave. 'I went the long way, to avoid the Radscorpions.' The excuse seems a little more petty when said out loud.<br>The doctor comes over, lifting up my light shirt to inspect the damage. I flinch a little at the sudden action as he dabs at the excess crimson. I find it a little strange that he doesn't make any fuss over tending to my wound, especially since the woman had suggested he would have, but I don't say anything about it.  
>'Hm. I suppose that was a wise descision if this is what a couple of Freeside junkies can do to you.'<br>I scowl, consciously holding back at saying anything rude to the other man. I do preferably want to come out of the Fort bleeding a lot less.  
>Once Arcade's done taping the layers of gauze to my side he motions for me to sit down at the table. I do so, and he brings over a box of supplies. 'If you didn't already know, you're taking this to a developing settlement just east of Nipton.' He begins unpacking the individual medicines, talking me through them in a tone that might be condescending, but I'm not quite sure.<br>'So we've just got some Stimpacks, a couple of bottles of Hydra...'  
>He stops as he puts the Jet inhalers down in front of me. He must have seen my expression change. Trying to hide my Jet addicition would be like trying to hide the fact that I have arms and legs. He says nothing, but his expression speaks for itself.<br>'Why are sending them stuff like this anyway? They're not exactly the healthiest resources you could choose.' I snap, trying to flip the moral highground of the situation.  
>'It's all we have.' Arcade admits, looking genuinely remorseful. 'With the Legion so close, we need to get supplies in there as quickly as we can so the settlement can build up their strength.' He slowly packs the drugs back up. 'I can only hope that they'll sell them on, rather than use them themselves.'<br>I barely register his reply, because I'm too busy focusing on the inhalers that have been distributed on the table in front of me. Then comes the crawling, itching sensation in my mind, like a spider has nested in my head and is making cobwebs in my throat, so that I can barely breathe or swallow. Suddenly all I can think about is grabbing the Jet and somehow escaping the fort, to a place where they wouldn't find me and I could be rid of my infestation, at least for a little while.  
>'Are you even listening to me?' The doctor's disgruntled voice peirces my thoughts, causing me to flinch and look up at him suddenly. 'Hm?' I murmur back, causing him to sigh heavily.<br>'I was _saying_ that you should probably stay the night here, because even if you do manage to get to Nipton without bleeding to death, by the time you arrive it would be nightfall. And trust me,' Arcade sweeps the supplies back into their container in one swift, sudden motion. 'You don't want to find out what nighttime is like over there.'  
>'Right.' I sigh, a little irritated that I'm going to be sitting around for the rest of the day.<br>'But you'll have plenty to do before morning,' The other man insists, seemingly reading my mind. 'After all, Freeside is full of culture for a traveller like you.' He smiles bitterly at his own sarcasm, and I return it with the briefest of grins, mostly out of courtesy.

Night arrives, and Freeside awakes from its slumber. The buzz of the crowds flocking inside the walls of the slum is like that of a ravenous animal hungry for money and alcohol. From my bed in one of the Fort's tents I can see the tacky, blinding lights of New Vegas, a constant mockery to the beggars that lay starving out of sight to the more fortunate. However it is neither the drunken cries coming from outside, nor the colourful electronics illuminating the area that are keeping me awake, but in fact it is the box of supplies I'm supposed to be delivering in the morning. I can see them from my current position, kept on shelf in the corner of the room. Would anyone notice just one inhaler missing from the stash?  
>iOf course not.i Comes a whisper inside my head, and the spider begins to wrap the silvery threads around my bones so that I sit up and slide of of the mattress, stumbling towards my own salvation. I pace underneath the shelf like a hungry predator, but as I lunge upwards the container eludes my grasp. I curse at my height, or lackthereof, as I come up with a way around the predicament- I'm too far gone to even think about giving up. Grabbing a chair, I prop it against the wall, having to remind myself to be quiet even though the doctors sleep in a different tent to the patients. I climb up, standing on the seat of the furniture as I grab the case of drugs and take off the lid hurriedly. My fingers tremble with anticipation as I dig through the supplies in search of the only item I care about. Just as I grab hold of the inhaler the silence is broken, causing the hairs on my arms to rise in terror.  
>'Having trouble sleeping?' Arcade asks bluntly, standing in the doorway of the tent and casting a shadow inside.<br>_Shit._  
>I return the Jet to its place and slide the box back onto the shelf, as if Arcade wasn't even there. I feel ashamed of my addiction more than anything else, and I can feel the pair of judgemental eyes burning holes into my back. Surpisingly though, as I step down to the ground he does nothing but stand there, watching me like a science experiment. 'W-what do you want?' I mumble angrily, shooting a quick glare at him before my guilt breaks the eye contact.<br>'I just wanted to make sure no one was dying in their sleep.' Comes the calm reply. 'You should probably get back in bed.' He advises, with only the slightest tone of belittlement. 'You'll be getting up early tomorrow, I assume.'  
>'Yes, I will.' I reply firmly, stepping back towards the bed.<br>'Goodnight then, Mister Courier.' 'Yeah, sure.'


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

A kind of short chapter I guess, woo. I don't know, it felt right to end it here so that's how it's gonna be. Next will be longer, I promise, and will also be pretty gory or at least I hope :3c Anyway, enjoy~

* * *

><p>Dawn arrives, and between last night's events and now all I've accumilated is the memory of a short but unpleasant dream in which I'm slowly peeling of chunks of my own skin. At this time in the morning Freeside seems almost serene; there's this kind of deathly silence littered with the occasional screeches of balding, mutated birds scavenging through the evidence of last night's festivities to orange-purple sea of sunrise. None of the patients or scientists are awake yet; the courtyard of the fort seems empty as I peer out of the tent and fasten my discoloured, dirty headband. By the looks of it, I should be able to leave<br>without any further interaction, which of course is a good thing. I turn to grab the package, the box of supplies, but much to my irriation it's missing. After overcoming my initial frustration I come to the conclusion that that bastard doctor must have moved it so that I wasn't tempted by its contents again. I step out into the open air to find that the temperature is already quite moderate considering the sun's still coming up, so it's going to be a particularly hot day.  
>'Huh, I figured you'd be the kind of person that would oversleep.'<br>It appears this Gannon guy has a habit of appearing unannounced.  
>This time I don't even react to Arcade's appearance, nor do I turn to face him as I reply.<br>'Being on time is one of my job requirements, unfortunately.'  
>I don't catch his reaction, but his silence probably means he's satisfied.<br>'Yes, well, I'm sure you want to just get the package and get going, but...'  
>I clench my teeth, inwardly furious. I already know what he's going to say and I can also tell that he's just teasing me- if he was serious he would have been more blunt. Arcade takes a side-step so that he's standing in front of me, and it's only now that I see that the the supplies are resting in his arms and suddenly I feel like a child being taunted with a toy that's being held just too high for them to reach.<br>'You see, after what I saw last night I can't help but distrust you only islightly/i. After all, I was hoping you would deliver my medicines, not use them yourself.'  
>'Well then, <em>Doctor<em>,' I sneer, folding my arms and leaning back defensively. 'How do you suggest we resolve this issue?'  
>At my question, he offers me the supply box without a moments hesitation, and I'm too confused to even take it. It makes sense that he wouldn't trust me after what happened, so I doubt that he would be lying just to delay my departure by a few moments. The fact that he'd give up so easily seems out of character, so much so that I can observe this after knowing him for less than a day. It's only what comes next that secures my understanding of his actions.<br>'I'm coming with you.' He declares firmly, and I scoff in disbelieve.  
>'Yeah, sure you are.' I drone, taking the box and moving to leave. He stops me by grabbing onto my shoulder, and my spine tingles with fear like it would when I got in trouble at school.<br>'I seldom joke, Courier. At least, I seldom joke badly. No, I'm going to have to come with you.'  
>I turn back, mortified. 'Don't you think that would be a bit of a waste of my services, and your money?' I ask, already trying to find reason for Arcade not to tag along. Despite what he said, this whole situation is feeling like a bad joke that's gone way to far. I think I'd rather die than have company on my travels. Sure, maybe a dog would be nice, but only because dogs don't stare at you like they couldn't care less if you were there and make witty, enfuriating comments with their every breath.<br>'We're not paying you just to get there,' Gannon insists. 'I could certainly do that myself. What I can't do is fend of a hoarde of feral ghouls trying to rip me to shreds. That would be your job.'  
>I roll my eyes and groan. 'So what would <em>your<em> job be?' I sigh, indulging in his idea whilst still remaining firmly against it.  
>'I could try to help you out with the mindless killing. And you'll need someone to fix you up afterwards. Oh, and of course making sure the <em>entire<em> contents of that box gets where it needs to go.'  
>I glance up at him coldly but he doesn't falter, he just stares back at me with steely composure.<br>'And if I refuse your proposition?' I suggest, already knowing the answer deep down.  
>'Oh, then I'll just find someone a little more suitable. I would have done that anyway, if it weren't for the delay it would cause. That and there aren't many others brave enough to do what you do for a living.' It's as though he had the answer all planned out already.<br>'Stupid enough, more likely.' I mumble under my breath, but he doesn't notice.  
>Eventually I sigh resignedly and nod, folding my arms to express my distaste with the situation.<br>'Well it looks like I don't have a choice then.' I grumble, and Arcade smiles in a fashion that almost seems genuine, rather than sarcastic.  
>'But if you haven't worked this out already,' I continue, as though this last statement might be enough to put him off, 'I'm terrible company.'<br>'Me too. I think we'll get along just fine.'  
>I go to take the medical supplies from him but he turns quickly, snatcing them from my reach.<br>'We'll leave in ten minutes.'Gannon explains. 'So go do whatever it is you have to do now.  
>It's only with this statement that I realise the guy had known I would agree to let him go with me all along; how else would he be so prepared to leave?<br>A ball of white-hot anger unfurls inside me, I can feel the fury mixing in with my blood and making curling, intricate patterns as it spreads to my brain.  
><em>Only for a few days<em>. I tell myself, and it's the only thing that keeps me from lashing out at the man right here and now. That, and the fact that of course I'm getting paid for this and more importantly ihe's/i the one paying me. Suddenly enduring the company of Arcade seems worth it just for the experience of watching him put the caps into my hand with that blank expression covering up his irritation.  
>'I can go right now, actually.' I counter, and the doctor turns back around, one eyebrow raised.<br>'Oh really? Then let's get going.'  
>I step out in front before he can move but he quickly matches my pace and I can tell before we've even left the fort that this journey is going to be more exhausting than I'd like it to be.<p> 


End file.
